My Chef's Hat - Chicken Chickpea Chopped Salad

When I first moved to Stillwater, I went home for lunch every day, for 2 reasons... a) I barely knew anyone, and most people did their own thing; and b) I only lived 4 miles from my office (as opposed to 20 when I lived in Maryland) so it was very convenient.  I made a boring turkey sandwich pretty much every day, and then watched TV for a while before heading back to the office.  Not only did that get super boring really quick, but a couple times I fell asleep on the couch and was shocked I actually woke up in time to go back to work!  After a couple of  months I started going to lunch with friends here and there, and eventually it got to the point where we were eating out every day.  Not only is that super expensive, but none of us were even remotely trying to eat healthy.  So now I'm eating at home most of the time, but eat out with friends occassionally.

Eating at home is still very boring, and I do definitely miss the social aspect of lunch out.  However, I also don't miss spending $7-$10 per day, and it's much healthier to eat at home when I can cook my own food and know what's in there. 

I was in the mood for a salad the other day.  I love salads, but I always have to put a bunch of stuff on them to make them filling enough so I'm not hungry an hour later.  That's why the Chicken chickpea chopped salad caught my eye. 

Here's the recipe picture, pre-mixed:

And here's my version, mixed together:

Love this salad!  It's full of ingredients that I really like and it's light, but still very filling.  The only down side is that I think it needed just a little something more.  Maybe some fresh ground pepper to bring out the flavor.  Also, maybe I should follow the recipe and add the cilantro that it calls for!  I definitely think that would have made a big difference.  I didn't have any pulled chicken breast, but I had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I seasoned with just some salt & pepper and grilled.  I didn't have any tomatoes, but that was okay.  The chick peas added some much needed fiber without adding unnecessary bulk.  And I used one of my favorite dressings, the Kraft fat free red wine vinaigrette dressing. 


Recipe found on Ambitious Kitchen

My Chef's Hat - Kale fried rice

Growing up, I was one of those really picky eaters that would only eat certain vegetables.  I loved broccoli, but refused to eat the florets and would only eat the stalks.  But that was a good enough compromise for my parents.  I used to love spinach, but I ate a bad batch one time as a kid and refused to eat it until I hit my 20's and discovered spinach artichoke dip.  I wouldn't eat zucchini or squash as a kid, but I've recently developed a taste for them, if they're cooked tender-crisp. 

Kale is one of those vegetables that I've always liked.  My parents made it very often as I was growing up, and they never had to force me to clean my plate.  It's one of those "superfood" veggies that provides tons of nutrients and health benefits.  I usually go super simple, cooking it down with just some onion, garlic, Mrs. Dash, and veggie broth.   However, that can get kinda boring.  So, off to Pinterest I went in search of some new and exciting ways to prepare kale.  And I came across kale fried rice. 

Here's the recipe picture:

And here's my version:

This is a really delicious dish!  The recipe calls for brown rice.  However, I had white rice left over from the red beans & rice I had made for mardi gras, so I needed to use that up.  I like brown rice from the Chinese restaurant, but whenever I make it at home it's too mealey.  So I usually do a mix of brown and white.  The sesame oil was very overpowering, and as I'm typing this I just realized why...I thought the recipe called for a tablespoon per serving...oh no, it's a teaspoon...huge difference.  I don't have mirin, or even really know what it is.  But they say you can use sherry as a substitute, so I did that. 

Will I make this again?  No question.  And I think with the appropriate amount of the sesame oil, it will be perfect.  I'll add a litte more kale too, just because.  There's no such thing as too much kale.


Recipe found on Iowa Girl Eats

My Chef's Hat - Parmesan roasted potatoes

I've talked on here before about my love of potatoes.  I can really eat them about any way possible, but probably my favorite is french fries...hot, crisp and fresh out of the oil.  I could eat them every single day, but that wouldn't be good for my waistline.  I try to only cook them at home about once every 2 weeks, and the good thing is there are about a million ways to prepare them so that makes it easy to have lots of variety. 

I actually hadn't made potatoes in about 3 weeks, but was craving them the other day so I bought one.  I had also run across a recipe for Parmesan roasted potatoes. 

Here's the official recipe photo:

And here is my version

These were awesome!  There were really only 2 spices so it wasn't too hot at all.  I added a little more than the recipe called for, and it definitely gave them more of a kick, but it was delicious.  The potatoes were supposed to be golden & crispy.  They only got slightly golden, but hardly crispy at all.  But that was all operator error.  The bowl I used wasn't big enough so the potatoes were basically piled in there, so they steamed more than roasted and the only pieces that got crispy were the ones on the edge of the bowl.  I happened to go to TJ Maxx today, and found a Le Creuset baking dish that will be the perfect size to allow the potatoes to roast properly, and therefore get that delicious crispiness.

Will I make this again?  What do you think I got the baking dish for?!


Recipe found on What's Gaby Cooking

My Chef's Hat - Pan Seared/Blackened Shrimp with Risotto with Bacon & Kale

Last weekend I was watching the Food Network and came across Giada at Home.  Overall I like Giada, but sometimes she gets on my nerves when she has that cheesy full-mouth smile going all the time.  It looks really fake.  But she makes good food!  She was making what looked like an amazing dish called risotto with bacon & kale.  It was one of those warm comfort dishes that looked super easy to make, and I love all the ingredients.  I also liked the idea of baking the risotto instead of cooking it, because you wouldn't have to pay as close attention for the 40 minutes it usually takes to cook.

The dish is really a one-pot meal, because you add in chicken and leftover roasted vegetables and bake the whole thing as a casserole.  However, I had already thawed out some shrimp so I decided to do that instead.  And to go with the savory of the risotto I decided I needed some shrimp with a kick.  And that's where the pan seared & blackened shrimp came into play.  The shrimp recipe I found actually was served with lemon risotto with arugula, but I didn't have any lemons or arugula, and had already settled on the other risotto anyways.

Here's the official recipe photos:

And here's my version:

This was awesome!  I didn't have any leftover roasted veggies, and I hate leftovers anyway, so I just omitted them.  And I was all set to bake the risotto, when I realized that I don't have a dutch oven or anything that would transfer well into the oven I just went back to the regular old method of cooking the risotto.  The shrimp had a really good kick.  It wasn't too spicy, but I could definitely see how a shake too much of one of the spices would scorch your mouth.  And the risotto cooled down the heat of the shrimp as well.  It worked really well together.

Will I make these again?  Definitely!  Next time I may try to lemon risotto.  I usually keep lemons on hand anyways.  I don't ever buy arugula so that probably won't be part of the dish.  But this risotto with teh bacon and kale will definitely be part of my regular rotation.



Risotto recipe found on Food Network

Shrimp recipe found on The Cafe Sucre Farine

My Chef's Hat - Bacon Quinoa Salad with Garlic Honey Lime Dressing

A few months ago I tried quinoa for the first time in my recipe for blackened chicken with cliantro lime quinoa, and I really kinda liked it.  I kept saying that I would eat it more, but I really never did...until about a week ago when I was determined to incorporate it into my menu rotation.  So my new goal is to eat it at least twice a week.  It's one of those "super" foods, and very good for you.  And since I'm running a lot more lately, I need more healthy carbs.

The last time I made it, I cooked it in water; and when I tasted the plain quinoa it was extremely bland and boring.  And I immediately understood why some people hate it.  The cilantro and lime made a huge difference, and that's what kept it in the back of my mind.  So I've been finding recipes on pinterest, and came across bacon quinoa salad with garlic honey lime dressing.  Honestly, it was the bacon that drew me in first.  And I love honey, garlic and lime, so I knew I couldn't go wrong. 

Here is the official recipe picture:

And here is my version:

This dish is really delicious!  Yes, I realize that the bacon isn't the healthiest thing, but I only used one piece so I didn't feel quite so bad.  I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth, and it makes a huge difference from cooking in water.  It adds a lot of flavor on its own, and maybe next time I'll cook it in a combo of veggie broth and water.  The dressing is really good.  Although it calls for raw garlic, I made the dressing well ahead of the quinoa, so it had a chance to sit and mix with the oil and honey and that mellowed the flavor a bit.  I didn't have sesame seeds so I just toasted some pine nuts.  And I completely forgot to add the sesame seeds. 

Will I make this again?  Definitely!  And I've already found a bunch more recipes that use quinoa and I'm excited to try them all.


Recipe found on The Midnight Baker

#41 - Eischen's, Okarchee, OK

I'm a huge fan of fried chicken.  It's one of my favorite things ever.  When I was a kid we used to go to Roy Rogers (a fast food restaurant on the east coast) every so often and I would always get the 2 piece dark meat.  However, my mom refused to let me eat the skin...the best part of the fried chicken...the crunchy, greasy deliciousness.  She would make me take it off and throw it away.  Seriously??  What's the point of eating fried chicken without the skin? 

Ever since I moved to Oklahoma, I've heard about Eischen's, the oldest bar in Oklahoma.  Everyone raved about it.  Whenever I would tell people I'd never been, they would look at me like I was crazy, and say "you've got to go".  But for whatever reason, I never made it.  A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook about how I'd never been and wanted to make sure to get there before my 6-year anniversary in March.  I was shocked at how many of my friends who were born and raised in Oklahoma had never been. 

Mary and I were going to Bedlam basketball in Norman, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to make my first pilgrimage.  It's a little over an hour from Stillwater, and then another hour to Norman.  One very important thing to note...if you put "Eischen's Bar" into the GPS it will take you to the address, but it's not to Eischen's...it's to a random neighborhood about 10 minutes away.  So make sure you do the actual address, in Okarchee.

I had originally thought about going for dinner after the game, but Mary suggested that we do lunch instead, because it gets more crowded as the day goes on.  They don't do reservations, you seat yourself, and in the evening it can take 2+ hours to get your food.  We arrived about 11:15, which was perfect because there were no more than 20 people there. 

You hear about dive bars and dive restaurants...Eischen's is both, rolled into one. Instead of a soda fountain, they just have canned soda that they bring you with a styrofoam cup with ice.  They only take cash,  don't serve tea or coffee, but they do have beer.  And they only have 8 things on the menu. 

We went with the fried chicken and fried okra.  Your only option is an entire chicken.  It comes with white bread, onions, and pickles. 

About halfway through the chicken Mary stopped short and announced "you forgot to take a picture"...cardinal sin of the food blog. I found these online, and they are perfect representations of our meal.

The chicken was phenomenal!!  Perfectly crisp, not greasy, and boiling hot.  And it only took about 15 minutes for our order to come to the table, which was great.  I can't even imagine having to sit there for 2 hours at night waiting for my food, while people around me are eating all the deliciousness.

I've never liked okra.  When I was a kid my mom steamed it, so it was gross and slimy and I absolutely refused to eat it.  One day my dad told me I couldn't leave the table until I ate one piece.  For some reason I decided it was the seeds that made it taste bad, so I was determined to pick out every single seed before I would taste it.  He finally gave up.  I've developed a taste--sort of--for fried okra...as long as I've got ranch or ketchup to dip it in.  This okra was really good, but they give you a ton of it.  Maybe they've got an okra farm out back.  Honestly, they should offer a half serving.  I realize that would require another menu item, but I still think they should do it.

I like onions, but I'm not really sure of the purpose of half a raw white onion with your meal.  The pickles were awesome, and I'm pretty sure homemade.  I tried a bite of the white bread...basic white Wonder bread...boring, and only gets in the way of eating the other stuff.  Next time I would tell them to skip the bread and onions, and double up on the pickles.

We had to force ourselves to eat the entire chicken, and took a couple of breathing breaks in between.  It's just way too good to leave any, plus we didn't want the leftovers sitting in the car that long.  By the time we were done we were in a complete food coma, and considered skipping the game and just heading back to Stillwater.  But we powered through. 
 
Will I go back?  That's a very silly question on this place.  But probably only every couple months.  I'm not sure my arteries could survive eating here regularly.

Repeats with a Twist - Louie's, Stillwater

I know I've already done Louie's as a repeat, but I had a new item on the menu and it's worthy of another post.  In reality, when a repeat is worth it, I'm all over it!

The bowl game was way too early on New Year's Day...11am to be exact.  Even though work didn't pay for us to stay in Dallas the night of the game, I had already planned to stay because there was absolutely no need to rush back.  And besides, that day was more than long enough.  After a long night ringing in the new year, having to be at the stadium at 8, a freezing cold game, and drinks and a meal afterwards with Bob, his parents, Joni & Toni, I was exhausted and went to sleep early that evening. 

So my parents and I drove back to Stillwater the next day. Even with that extra night of sleep, I was still exhausted on the drive home and it was all I could do to get home and take a nap.  Unfortunately, I didn't have long to sleep because we had a home women's basketball game that night.  So I took a quick power nap, showered to revive myself, and off we went to Gallagher.  We didn't have time to eat dinner before I had to be at work, so by the time the game ended we were starving.  So off to Louie's we went.

Louie's wasn't very crowded when we arrived.  I don't like sitting near the door in the winter because you get a chill every time the door opens.  There were a couple of empty tables towards the back, and I soon found out why...there was a table of very loud, very drunk people near the back.  Yes, I know I've been "that table" before, but when that happens we're in a loud crowded bar...not on a quiet evening when all the other patrons are just trying to enjoy a meal and/or a drink.

The Louie's menu has gotten really fancy recently.  They've changed the look of the menu, and also added a few new dishes.  I have to admit I'm very sad they took the salmon off the menu, because that was one of my favorites.  But that's okay, because there's still a lot of other menu items that I really enjoy.  Their new Hawaiian Chicken sandwich caught my eye

A lightly blackened chicken breast topped with grilled pineapple, ham,
Swiss cheese & chipotle honey mustard. Served on a toasted bun

This sandwich is awesome!  They overdid it on the honey mustard, and it was very overpowering.  Next time I would ask for it on the side, or just ask them to put a lot less.  But that was the only negative.  The grilled pineapple adds so much great flavor.  It kind of reminds me of the fowl thing at Joe's. 

#40 - Coal Vines Uptown, Dallas, TX

After our first day of working in the bowl game hospitality room, I was pretty hungry, but didn't have tons of time because I had to be at 6th Street Uptown that evening for our first "social hour".  Bob and his parents had driven down to Dallas that afternoon, so we decided to meet for dinner first.  I had driven past Coal Vines Pizza Wine Bar a couple of times, and the concierge at the hotel said it was a good place, so that's where we went. 

Coal Vines is located in Uptown, just 2 blocks from 6th Street.  It was packed when I arrived, which is of course a great sign.  I'm honestly not sure how the fire marshall approved it, because you literally have to turn to walk past almost every table when there are people sitting there.  But its a great atmosphere, and looks like an authentic cafe in Italy. Bob and his parents were already at the table by the time I arrived, having the calamari as an appetizer.  They were almost done with it by the time I got there, but I did get a quick taste.  I really can't give it a fair review because I didn't taste it from the time it hit the table and so it was only room temperature, but Bob said it was very good.

Since it's a wine bar, I of course had to get a glass of wine.  In college we drank a lot of white zinfandel.  Thankfully I grew out of that phase!  I was on a cabernet/merlot kick for a while, but in the last couple of years the tannins did really bad things to me so I had to find something different.  I don't like super sweet wine, but I'm a huge fan of the red blends.  It combines everything that I like of the different types of reds, and it's smooth and delicious.  I also really like white wines on the dry side.  So pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, I'm in.  I went with a glass of the Santa Margherita pinot grigio, and it was delicious. 

For my entree I decided to try the penne vodka.  My mom had it the night before at a different restaurant and it was absolutely excellent, so I wanted to give it a shot.  It didn't come with any protein, but the server said we could add some, so I did meatballs.

It was really good! The sauce was light and very flavorful, and the meatballs were delicious. Had I realized how big they would be I would have gotten just one. But I still ate the whole thing.

I cook with wine quite a bit, but honestly never thought of cooking with vodka.  Now that I've had this dish twice and liked it, I'm going to have to find a recipe.  Ree Drummond made it on the Pioneer Woman a couple weeks ago...gotta look it up.

Will I go back?  Definitely!  The wine was delicious, I really liked the atmosphere, and I want to try something else on the menu.